SMYRNA, Ga. — Something between hundreds and thousands of gallons of oil were discharged into the Chattahoochee River as a result of the explosion and fire at a Smyrna power plant last weekend.
The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper organization said on Facebook that as many as 1,000-4,000 gallons of oil were discharged into the waterway during the incident at Georgia Power's Plant McDonough-Atkinson on Sunday, as firefighters fought the blaze.
The group shared with 11Alive a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Operations Center spot report from which it got the estimate. That report was published Tuesday morning.
Georgia Power however contended it was a much lower figure, saying that, "our calculations indicate very conservatively that approximately 250 gallons of oil entered the river."
11Alive has reached out to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and U.S. EPA to try and confirm an updated figure.
Power transformers often have oil present for internal cooling and insulation purposes. A Cobb County Fire spokesman confirmed the oil present in the transformer was released and caught fire in the explosion and washed into the river through the firefighting efforts. Georgia Power said "most of the oil in the transformer was contained onsite."
"Thankfully, no one was injured. Georgia Environmental Protection Division and United States Environmental Protection Agency were on scene, and downstream drinking water plant operators were notified," the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper group wrote on Facebook. "We are aware that oil is in the river and we are investigating Georgia Power’s and the agencies’ response. We will continue to provide updates as we evaluate impacts to the river."
Some firefighting chemicals, which included foam suppression product that was used due to the nature of the oil being on fire, also washed into the river.
Georgia Power said that "comprehensive response activities began immediately once the fire was extinguished" and "the company aggressively began working to assess, limit and remove this oil from the river."
"Using its own resources as well as qualified response contractors, the company is working around the clock, in close concert with the U.S. EPA and Georgia EPD, to recover the oil. The company and its contractors have employed methods including placement of booms, skimmers, and absorbent materials. Our fisheries biologists, along with state and federal regulators, have surveyed the river and no adverse wildlife or ecological impacts have been observed," a statement said. "The oil in the river primarily consisted of a thin surface sheen observed early in the week. Recovery is well underway and the company expects cleanup efforts to conclude this weekend."
The EPA EOC spot report noted that its response had "significantly captured oil flow about 12 miles downstream of the facility" and described that area of the river leading up to the 12-mile marker as "almost inaccessible for recovery of oil."
Cobb County Fire said in a statement on Monday that crews arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming from a transformer Sunday evening, and crews immediately went on the defensive to protect nearby structures that contained what the department described as hazardous materials.
A total of 33 firefighters took on the blaze using 13 firefighting vehicles. Four HAZMAT vehicles were also dispatched and had 10 personnel of their own.
Multiple photos on social media showed a smoke plume visible from miles away. Other reports described the smoke plume and the explosions, along with flickering power from parts of the surrounding area.
"There were four explosions total," Shelby Watson said on Twitter. "The first and the strongest shook our home violently."
According to a statement from Georgia Power, the large plume of smoke was due to a transformer fire that was contained within the switchyard at Plant McDonough.
"There is no fire inside the plant structure itself," the statement from Georgia power read.
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